Mika, Kenneth R (2025) A quantitative survey to explore leadership influence in cultural integration during acquisitions at architectural, engineering, and construction firms. DBA thesis, Edgewood University, USA.
Abstract
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are occurring all over the business world. Due to the changes in the workforce where there are less entry level employees to replace retiring employees, leaders at firms need to work to keep all employees after a M&A event (Ferguson, 2024). The architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is seeing greater interests in M&A (AEC Advisors, 2024c). Due to the decrease in workforce and an increase in M&A interests in the AEC industry, further exploration is necessary on M&A in the AEC industry. M&A can have a major impact on the employees and groups of a firm due to the two firms potentially having cultural differences (Sims, 2000). Leaders of firms are influential on how the cultures in firms blend during a M&A event (Zhang, et al., 2015). Communication between leaders and employees is essential for a positive outcome post M&A integration (Aarino & Varis, 2022). Leaders in the AEC industry may be influential in the cultural integration of M&A events. This study is designed to support the M&A research community, as well as the AEC industry, specifically looking at acquisitions where the acquired firm is integrated into the acquiring firm. A quantitative analysis was completed on multiple AEC acquisition events analyzed through a survey questionnaire offered to non-leaders of firms who were employed by either the acquiring or acquired firm. The dataset from each acquisition event was analyzed multiple ways to determine if there are correlations due to transformational leadership, cultural alignment, and communication that determine how the employee experiences and overall event assessments were perceived by the non-leaders of the firm.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Maxwell, Leigh |
| Index terms: | acquisition, merger, transformational leadership, survey, construction firm, cultural difference, quantitative analysis, dataset, questionnaire, integration, exploration |
| Subjects: | environmental resource management, organization, cross-cultural studies, data analysis and analytics, business, data collection methods, data management, organizational analysis, management |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, International Construction, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here